Machine for pressing and forming hats.



H. COHN.

MACHINE FOR PRESSING AND-FORMING HATS.

APPLICAfION FILED JUNE 25, I917- Patemted Feb. 26, 191%.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS H. (JOHN.

MACHINE ron PRESSING AND FORMING HATS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, I917- Patented Feb. 26, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

//V 5 IV TOR HERMAN COHN, OF NEW YGRK, N. Y.

IVIACHINE FOR PRESSING AND FORMING, HATS;

earners.

Specification of Letters-Patent.

Patented Feb, 26, 191..

7 Application filed. June 25, 1917. Serial No. 176,807.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, HERMAN COHN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forPressing and Forming Hats, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for pressing and cutting out hats madeof fabric, such as velvet or the like, in which it is customary to firstpress and shape the brim of the hat from a suitable blank or piece ofmaterial and then cut out a space in the center of the hat for attachingthe crownthereof, which is made of a separate piece of material. It iscustomary to leave a flange of about an inch in height around thecentral 1 opening of the piece of material, so as to 1elnable the sewingon of the crown of the It has heretofore been customary in press ing andshaping the brim of the hat, to provide two pressing dies, one above theother, which were suitably heated so as to facilitate the pressing ofthe material. These dies had their adjacent surfaces of the shape of thebrim of the hat and the lower die had at or near its center, adepression of about an inch in height, this depression corresponding tothe shape of the opening for receiving the crown of the hat. Instead ofproviding a depression inthe lower die, it could also be cut away atthis point so as to leave an opening in its surface corresponding to theopening for receiving the crown of the hat. Theupper die had, at itsbottom, a projection corresponding in shape to the depression or openingin the lower die.

In the operation of this device, two workmen would take an unperforatedpiece of material of suflicient area to provide for the brim of the hatand they would hold it at the top of the lower die. Then the upper diewould be caused to descend upon the material held on the lower die, byany suitable means, such as a foot press or the like. The upper diewould press the material on the 7 lower die, thus shaping it, and itwould also force the material above the depression or opening in thelower die, into this depression or opening. When the upper die wasremoved, the line where the material had been forced into the depressionor opening in the lower die, could be seen by the operator,

because the heating and pressing left a mark at that point.

After this was done, the operator would cut away the center of thepressed piece of material, leaving a flange of about an inch to receivethe crown of the hat which was then sewed on.

This method has led to a waste of material in that the upper die wouldalways force the fabric into the opening or depression in the lower die,so that instead of using a piece of material of the exact size of thebrim of the hat, it was always necessary to allow for at least an inchmore all around the brim of the hat. This has been a considerable itemof loss in working with expensive velvets, especially since hundreds ofhats are usually made by a single manufacturer. In addition, theoperation of this device was not always reliable because the men whowere feeding the material to the dies had to hold it against the pullthat was exerted by the upper dies forcmg'the material into the openingof the lower die.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved constructionof pressing and shaping dies that shall be uniform and reliable inoperation, economical of mate rial, shape and press the hat moreefiectively, and permit the operators to see at all times the conditionof the material.

(lther objects of my invention are to provide a simple and efficientconstruction for carrying out the above mentioned purposes, and theseobjects shall be set forth in the following description and drawingswhich illustrate a preferred embodiment of myrinvention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved construction, the pressingdies being shownin the position suitable for pressing the material.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the construction of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 1.

Fig. l is a perspective view of the supplemental cutting die, seen frombelow, and showing the tapering cutting knives, which are widest attheir outer ends, so that their outer ends act as piercing points.

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the cutting of the fabric.

The framework of my improved construction consists of two triangularframe-pieces 1, connected by a horizontal bar 3 and having other bar 8at their upper ends,

they always move horizontal members connected thereto, such as a table2e. To the cross-bar 8 a lever 41 is pivoted which can be downwardlyactuated by the foot and held down- Wardly by member 5, and which isupwardly urged by the springs 6, fastened to the crossand fastened attheir lower ends to a short cross-bar 7 connected to the lever 4L.

A vertical jointed link 9 is pivoted to the lever 4c at 10. At its upperend, the link 9 carries a fork 38 to which vertical rods 12 areconnected by means of the yoke 13. -hese' vertical rods 12 slide up anddown in suitable guides provided in the table 2 1 and at the top of theframe-pieces, so that in a vertical direction.

The vertical rods 12 are threaded at their upper ends'where they areadjustably connected to a frame 16 by means of nuts 80 and 31. 'Bysuitably rotating these nuts 30 and 31, the frames 16 can be adjustablyheld on the rods 12. The frame 16 has connected thereto threadedvertical-supporting rods 17 which are adjustably connected thereto bymeans of the nuts28.

The vertical supporting rods 17, carry at their lower ends an upperpressing die a which is of the exact shape of the portion of the brim ofthe hat, and has an opening in the center of the exact shape of theportion of the brim to which the crown 1S to be attached.

Hence, by

a if desired, by any suitable means, and which nected tothe table by thefastening menidies are pressed together.

hers 26. The lower pressing die 1%. is of substantially the exact shapeof the brim of the. hat and of the upper pressing die 15,

there being just enough difference of taper between the adjacentsurfaces of dies l i and 15, which generally speaking, are offrustoconical shape, to stretch the fabric over the lower die 1 1,without injuring it, when the This difference of taper or contouruniformly stretches the fabric (outwardly, or radially from the centerof the dies, as well as downwardly. Of course, theadjacent surfaces ofthe dies could have the same contour. When the upper die first contactswith the fabric, since this fabric has a certain thickness, the upperdie will not, at the moment of the said contact, coincide with theadjacent surface of the lower die, if these dies are properlydimensioned. The upper die will move downwardly and also carry. thefabric 7 suitably moving the lever l down, the upper die 15, which maybe heated as shownin Figs. I land 2 and by"releasing to the table 2a isa stand 32' with it, thus stretching it, until the movement of the upperdie is stopped. If sullicient pressure is applied, the dies themselveswill slightly yield, which would assist this action. The hollow frame 16has two crossmembers 27 connected thereto. At the center of these twocross-members 27 is a threaded opening into which a vertical screw 18 isiitted. This screw 18, which is rotated by means of the hand-wheel 19has fastened thereto, at its lower end, a carrier 22, whose periphery isof such shape that it its into the opening in the upper die 15.

At its underside the carrier 22 has four detachable blades fastenedthereto, by any suitable fastening means 29.

The operation of my improved device is as follows:

Two operators place a piccc of velvet on the lower die 1% and one ofthem depresses the lever -1 thus bringing the upper die 15, down uponthe lower die let. The carrier 22 and the blades 23 are carried downwith the frame 16, but the screw 18 has been raised suliiciently so thatthe tapering knives or blades 23 and the carrier 22 do not touch thefabric. By this operation the fabric is tightly stretched over the lowerdie 14:, and the central part thereof, which is to be cut away to leavean opening for sewing on the brim of the hat, is tightly stretched overthe opening in the lower die 14;. As a result a minimum amount ofmaterial is present between the dies 14: and 15 and there is no drawingin of the material for an inch or more, which took place under the oldconstruction of the dies, in which the flange for the sewing-on of thecrown was shaped simultaneously with the pressing of the brim.

While the upper die 15 is thus pressed against the lower die 14-, itirons the brim as one or both of these dies are suitably heated by anywell-known means, not shownin the drawings, and which in themselves formno part of my lnvention. The ironing is accomplished upon the tightlyand uniformly stretched fabric so that a superior effect is secured.

Now the operator rotates the hand-wheel 19 and lowers the carrier 2L-which is guided by the rods 21, so that the knives or blades out aflange for sewing on the crown of the hat.

Fig. 5 shows how the material has the two slits cut therein. Thesuperfluous portions of the four angular pieces of material thus formedare trimmed away by hand.

Essa...

I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention but it is clearthat numerous changes and modifications could be made without departingfrom its spirit. Some of the parts might be caused to move automaticallyand some of the details might be omitted, without departing from theessence of my invention as defined in the following claims.

1. In a machine for forming the brims of hats, the combination of anupper annular die and a lower annular die, the said dies havingsuperposed alined surfaces of substantially ring-like, frusto-conicalshape, and means for bringing together and separating the said dies, theadjacent surfaces of the said dies being so dimensioned and alined, thatwhen they are brought together they downwardly and radially stretch andpress the piece of material placed between them, and only operate onthat portion of said piece between the ring-like operating surfaces ofthe said :dies.

2. In a machine for forming the brims of hats, an upper annular die anda lower annular die, the adjacent surfaces of said dies being ofdifferent contour, so as to downwardly and radially stretch a piece ofmaterial between them when they are forced together, an independentlymovable supplemental die adapted to fit into the opening of said upperannular die, means for bringing together the said annular dies and meansfor then moving the said supplemental die toward the said annular dies.

3. In a machine for forming the brims of hats, an upper annular die, alower annular die, an independently movable supplemental die adapted tofit into the opening of said upper annular die, means for bringingtogether and separating said dies, and cutting means adapted to operatein the opening of said upper die before said supplemental die enterssaid opening.

4. In a machine for forming the brims of hats, an upper annular die, alower annular die, an independently movable supplemental die adapted tofit into the opening of said upper die, means for bringing together andseparating said dies, and means adapted to first pierce and then cut thefabric within the said opening of said upper die, before saidsupplemental die enters said opening.

5. In a machine for forming the brims of hats, an upper annular die, alower annular die, an independently movable supplemental die havingcutting knives at its under side and adapted to fit into the opening ofsaid upper die, and means for bringing together and separating saiddies.

6. In a machine for forming the brims of hats, an upper annular die, alower annular die, an independently movable supplemental die adapted tofit into the opening of said upper die, having four cutting knives atits under side, said knives having piercing points at their outer endsand being arranged at right angles to each other, and means for bringingtogether and separating said dies.

7. In a machine for forming the brims of hats, an upper annular die, alower annular die, an independently movable supplemental die adapted tofit into the opening of said upper annular die, and having cuttingknives at its under side, the cutting edges of said knives taperingdownwardly from their inner to their outer, ends, and means for bringingtogether and separating said dies.

8. In a machine for forming the brim of a hat, pressing dies havingtheir adjacent surfaces of different contour so as to downwardly andradially stretch-the peripheral portion of said brim, and a supplementaland independently movable pressing die adapted to thereafter press andform the crown portion of said brim.

9. In combination, a frame, cross-members in said frame having athreaded opening at their center, a screw fitting into said opening, awheel for rotating said screw, an upper annular die carried by saidframe, a second annular die adapted to coiiperate with saidfirst-mentioned die to clamp a piece of fabric, the adjacent surfaces ofsaid dies being of slightly different inclination to the vertical inorder to stretch the fabric clamped between them, a supplemental dieadapted to fit into the opening in said upper die and having on itsunder side four knives of the same dimensions radiating from the centerof said. supplemental die, said knives being at right angles to eachother and having their cutting surfaces tapering downwardly andoutwardly from the center of said supplemental die and means for raisingand lowering said frame.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affiX my HERMAN COHN.

signature.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe flommissioner of Eetents, Washington, D. G.

